Guest guest Posted September 17, 2001 Report Share Posted September 17, 2001 I have been approached by an insurance company, Administrative Services, to lower my charges on a patient to 80% and accept that as payment in full. In return, they will expedite the payment on the claim. I am to write off the 20%. The patient's policy pays 70% and the patient has a 30% copay. If I go this way, " it will take longer. " I am confused as to a couple of things: 1. why would the insurance want to pay more and not have the patient pay any? 2. what do they think they are doing with this expediting vs. taking longer garbage? Has anyone had any similar situations? K. Carpentier, D.C., D.A.B.C.O. Burns, OR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 17, 2001 Report Share Posted September 17, 2001 , You are missing the point of the plan, which is known as the " pay it forward " plan. You see, by saving one out of every 5 dollars that the insurer would have to pay you, you have actually helped enrich someone else's life. For example, you have enriched the CEO's life, because without your noble sacrifice he would have to forego the 4th replacement set of cashmere slipcovers for the divan in his Gulf Stream jet. And the great thing is that for this plan to work all they have to do is just ask you to take less! You gotta admire the beauty of it. D Freeman Mailing address: 2480 Liberty Street NE Suite 180 Salem, Oregon 97303 phone 503 763-3528 fax 503 763-3530 pager 888 501-7328 lower fees: > I have been approached by an insurance company, Administrative > Services, to lower my charges on a patient to 80% and accept that as payment > in full. In return, they will expedite the payment on the claim. I am to > write off the 20%. > > The patient's policy pays 70% and the patient has a 30% copay. If I go this > way, " it will take longer. " > > I am confused as to a couple of things: > 1. why would the insurance want to pay more and not have the patient pay > any? > > 2. what do they think they are doing with this expediting vs. taking > longer garbage? > > Has anyone had any similar situations? > > K. Carpentier, D.C., D.A.B.C.O. > Burns, OR > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2001 Report Share Posted September 18, 2001 I just received a call from a nice man from Corvell, formerly Med-Review, a bill reviewing service working for PIP insurers. I was asked to voluntarily reduce my bill by about 5% in exchange for the bill being processed within 10 days. The nice man was quick to volunteer that my fees were already very reasonable. I asked him why he didn't just whack the bill himself as insurance carriers often do. He said that some carriers are using U & C but there has been " trouble " with it. Funny he should mention this. I have been thinking about getting a small team of law students to conduct a simple study of the D.C.'s in the area to help me determine what U & C really is around here. I have asked repeatedly from whence comes the data which the insurers use. It's a secret. I think I may have a case with the insurance commissioner if U & C is not U & C. I'm not Don Gotti but I think that I know something about the law. The nice man from Corvell said that if I agreed to this fee reduction, I was bound to not bill the patient for the balance. I was advised that I could possibly receive the balance at settlement as they have no control over that aspect of a claim. I was tempted to agree to such a reasonable fee reduction. The problem being, I am asking more and more of my patients to pay my reasonable fees at the time of service. I am giving a small reduction for not having to print and mail bills. I still have to print and mail bills to the PIP carrier. Does it not lack integrity to ask them to pay in fair exchange but extend a discount to the insurance carrier when they own a football stadium in Seattle? If I agree to reduce my fees for no reason than to have my claims processed in a timely manner, am I not saying in effect, " Yes, I would welcome managed care in PIP. I have become so flexible that I am now able to bend over backwards to get paid and bend over forward to...um...be like an employee that I went to school to avoid becoming? " I asked the nice man from Corvell to let me think about it over the weekend. As I write this to you, I know what I'm going to tell him. I would like feedback from interested parties. We cannot talk about specific fees as that would be something like price fixing, racketeering, and it is not allowed unless you own a stadium to hold meetings (Safeco Arena). Dr. -- Dr. Abrahamson > From: " Carpentier " <carpentier@...> > Date: Mon, 17 Sep 2001 13:15:10 -0700 > " " < > > Subject: lower fees: > > I have been approached by an insurance company, Administrative > Services, to lower my charges on a patient to 80% and accept that as payment > in full. In return, they will expedite the payment on the claim. I am to > write off the 20%. > > The patient's policy pays 70% and the patient has a 30% copay. If I go this > way, " it will take longer. " > > I am confused as to a couple of things: > 1. why would the insurance want to pay more and not have the patient pay > any? > > 2. what do they think they are doing with this expediting vs. taking > longer garbage? > > Has anyone had any similar situations? > > K. Carpentier, D.C., D.A.B.C.O. > Burns, OR > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2001 Report Share Posted September 18, 2001 Listmates; We too have received these calls and the caller is politely told that we are a FEE FOR SERVICE office. They usually stutter @ stammer a little and say OK. The check usually arrives in a few days!!!!!!!!! DrBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 18, 2001 Report Share Posted September 18, 2001 ATTAWAY Bobby! You'all... Listen to the words of this man of experience. He's been dealing with third party payors for nearly 40 years! If more of us would respond in this manner to this sleazy pitch to devaluate ourselves, collectively we might regain a backbone. Thanks for the great advise Dr. P. scott shephard Re: lower fees: Listmates;We too have received these calls and the caller is politely told that we area FEE FOR SERVICE office.They usually stutter @ stammer a little and say OK. The check usuallyarrives in a few days!!!!!!!!!DrBob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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